While the rivalries between the Red Sox/Yankees, Ohio State/Michigan and Barcelona/Real Madrid seem to only grow stronger with the years, what has happened to the beloved riff between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers?

Last night, something occurred to me. I hate the Vikings quarterback far more than Aaron Rodgers. I hate Adrian Peterson in a way Ryan Grant could only hope to be hated. If I had to rank the players I hate in the NFC North, we’d be well-into double digits before I reached a Packer. (I think I already hate Percy Harvin more than Charles Woodson or Al Harris – the two Pack rats I despise.)

Now maybe it’s because of the built-in Packers history of Brett Favre. Maybe it’s because they’re the division champions. But ask yourself this question: if you had to choose one team in the division, outside the Lions, to go 2-0 against and one to go 0-2 against, wouldn’t you choose to sweep the Vikings? And is there any doubt in the world that the Packers would make the same choice, specifically because of #4?

Does that means a century’s rivalry has come and gone or is it simply on sabbatical until Favre hangs them up for good? Whatever the answer may be, there’s an unavoidable conclusion for the 2009 season.